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Contributionsto date: Democrats $1.3 Republicans $515,000 Source: the Federal Election Commission as of May 31, and state Elections Enforcement Commission as of June 30 report

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There will be no disarmament treaty in the governor's race -- not when it comes to outside money.

Republican and Democratic candidates alike are resisting a good government group's call to sign a pledge to forswear spending by super PACs, 527 groups and other so-called shadow organizations.

For Republicans, who trail Democrats in fundraising by a 2-to-1 margin, spending by external forces such as political action committees could be a potential equalizer in the midterm election.

Republican Tom Foley, for one, has the personal fortune to bankroll an outside group, and he stands to gain the most from an infusion of advocacy money, political operatives on both sides of the aisle say.

"Tom is not currently planning to contribute any personal funds to outside groups, but he would not rule it out," said Chris Cooper, a campaign spokesman for Foley, the U.S. ambassador to Ireland under President George W. Bush and a private equity manager from Greenwich.

The fact that Democrats hold every statewide and congressional seat in Connecticut and have far more cash to spend on campaign advertising, may be an incentive for Foley to open his own checkbook.

The favorite to win next month's GOP primary and set up a rematch with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Foley spent $11 million of his own money in his 2010 narrow defeat.

The most Foley could spend on his own campaign this time is $20,000 because he is accepting taxpayer money from the Citizens'Election Fund, a program that critics say has been weakened by a series of landmark rulings on political speech by the U.S. Supreme Court, such as the 2010 case brought by the conservative lobbying group Citizens United.

Candidates participating in the state public campaign financing program, however, can still give unlimited sums to super PACs and other outside entities, a flaw that watchdogs say will only give those groups more clout in Connecticut.

"I think we've seen it go up every year," said Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, the organization that is asking candidates to sign the pledge. "I think that we don't need to see it escalate even further."

The pledge is modeled after a compact between Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republican Scott Brown in the 2012 U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts. But those candidates were not bound by the conditions of a so-called clean elections program like the one in Connecticut.

"If the candidates agree that they don't (condone) those negative independent expenditures -- those horrible mailers that clog up dining room tables -- then they should try to agree to cease and desist," Quickmire said.

Malloy isn't necessarily at arm's length on the issue of outside money, either.

He is a member of Democratic Governors Association, which unsuccessfully sued multiple state agencies this spring over their enforcement of Connecticut's campaign finance laws concerning coordination between candidates and outside groups. The group contributed $1.8 million to Malloy's 2010 campaign.

"We can't control what outside groups are doing," Mark Bergman, a senior campaign adviser to Malloy said. "As the governor has said, he believes that the Supreme Court justices got the Citizens United decision wrong. He believes that we need to level the playing field so ideas and not big money decide elections."

Like its Republican counterpart, which contributed $1.6 million to Foley in the last go-round, the Democratic Governors Association is expected to factor heavily in the governor's race. It previously said that the state's restrictions on coordinated political activity could have a chilling effect on its First Amendment rights.

"People are looking for excuses to find things to take to the Supreme Court to blow holes in campaign finance," Swan said Wednesday. "I am fearful that we will see a lot of outside expenditures."

Swan referred to a March 2013 public opinion poll commissioned by Voters for Good Government, a Delaware-based 527 group that listed Foley as its treasurer. Watchdogs contend that the poll was political in nature, a position shared by the state Elections Enforcement Commission, which levied a $16,104 civil penalty against the group and Foley.

"I think Mr. Cooper is being less than truthful in his response and that Foley is looking to both direct his money and encourage others to give their money to these outside entities," Swan said. "I think Foley is hopeful that he can hide any money that he can give to these shady outfits."

Foley's campaign said it did not want to get into a back-and-forth with Swan.

Facing Foley in the Aug. 12 primary will be state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, whose campaign did not respond to a message seeking comment.

The winner of the primary will get an additional $6 million in taxpayer funds for the general election to match $6 million given to Malloy, who does not have a primary opponent.

There are other avenues for Foley to spend his own money, including giving to the state Republican Party. This year, he has given about $8,000 of an allowable $40,000 to the GOP, according to filings.